Wall Street Banker Death Ignites a Firestorm

The former Green Beret, Leo Lukenas III, died of “acute coronary artery thrombus” at age 35 last Thursday, according to a Reuters report. He leaves behind his wife and two young children. 

This unfortunate tragedy occurred after he had allegedly been working for over 100 hours a week for the past several weeks on a $2 billion merger as part of the bank’s Financial Institutions Group. 

A large outcry could be seen on the social media site Reddit from distressed bank staffers, directing their frustrations with the situation at Lukenas’ boss, Gary Howe, who has since taken down his LinkedIn page.

Some bankers have reportedly gone as far as to recommend a possible walkout in an effort to bargain for better working conditions within investment banking, which is known as a notorious industry for long hours and grueling workloads.  

Users of the popular financial website and chat board Wall Street Oasis have been sharing an anonymous post highlighting a list of demands for employee welfare, generating over 450 comments of support in the process. 

The demands include a proactive policy that caps work schedules at an average of 80 hours over a seven-day period and for employees to get at least one weekend of per month. The users of the chat board have also called for an investigation into Lukenas’ death.

As of now, Wall Street bankers have remained at their desks, fearing retribution from management if concerns are raised about the toxic industry work culture. Bank of America has not taken any action against Howe or begun any investigation into the complaints filed by their junior bankers